Mary White (pictured, right) was honored for her efforts in embracing the power of massage and the mission of the Massage Therapy Foundation to promote education and research while serving others. Marshall Dahneke (pictured, left), chief executive officer of Performance Heath, had the honor of presenting the award.

“I am grateful to the Massage Therapy Foundation for allowing Performance Health to jointly honor individuals that give so much to others,” Dahneke said. “I believe the world is one big family, and as brothers and sisters, we have the opportunity to help each other. Mary White has made helping others her life’s mission. Mary has been a committed member of the American Massage Therapy Association since 1990, embracing fellow massage therapists as her own extended family. As a two-term president of a state AMTA Chapter, Mary inspired members to support and strengthen the future of their profession by raising $10,000 each year for three straight years for the Massage Therapy Foundation. Like all great leaders, Mary’s example inspired other chapters to step up, raise funds, and donate at greater levels, resulting in funds to advance critical initiatives that strengthen this profession and help so many in our greater extended family.

“Mary’s humanitarian efforts are not limited to bettering the world through massage,” he continued. “She has been actively involved in supporting legislation to curb human trafficking, a shocking practice still in existence, even in this country. I am truly honored to recognize Mary for all that she has done, and for what I know she’ll continue to do.”

“The Massage Therapy Foundation is pleased to award Mary White this 2014 Humanitarian award,” said Jerrilyn Cambron, LMT, DC, MPH, PhD, Massage Therapy Foundation president. “Mary has been a Foundation champion for many years, both personally and through her chapter. She was instrumental in securing the John Hancock charity bibs for the Boston Marathon, which raised over $100,000 in the past two years. Her dedication and commitment continues to grow and we are pleased to congratulate her on this outstanding honor.”

After receiving the award, Ms. White said, “This is the most humbling experience of my professional career, and now that I have had time to digest it, it is also the highlight of my career. To be honored with those that have gone before me as recipients is certainly an honor. Bob King was the most amazing mentor to me and told me to get involved back in the early 1990s, so I did. I followed him around New England to take his classes for years. To receive this award six years after he did, engraved with a quote from him, is very serendipitous to me.

“The Massage Therapy Foundation does an amazing job for the entire massage therapy profession, and to be able to volunteer and make connections that help the MTF is truly a joy to me,” White continued. “I hope that I am an inspiration to others to jump on board and support the Massage Therapy Foundation.”

In addition to honoring White at the AMTA Convention, Performance Health donated $2,500 to the Massage Therapy Foundation in her name.